KYLE HOFF, 30

Co-founder/CEO,
Floyd

Kyle Hoff's frustrating experience furnishing his Chicago apartment in 2013 after a move from San Fransisco inspired the e-commerce business he's building in Detroit today.

An architect by training, Hoff thought there had to be a better way to furnish his apartment than trekking to a suburban IKEA and hauling back boxes of furniture parts that had to be assembled.

So, while working in Chicago, Hoff began to design a minimalistic set of metal legs that could convert an old door or sheet of plywood into a table or a bed frame.

He named the device Floyd, in honor of his father, grandfather and great-grandfather, all of whom were steelworkers named Floyd in Youngstown, Ohio, where Hoff grew up.

Four years later, the development and sale of the Floyd Leg has given rise to Floyd Design LLC, an e-commerce company that designs and sells online furniture products that can be shipped by mail and are built to withstand the wear-and-tear of urban living.

"Since day one, it's always been about solving that problem," Hoff said. "It's been interesting to see how dramatically and quickly that's starting to evolve with customers buying furniture online."

Hoff, 30, and business partner Alex O'Dell expect sales revenue to increase this year from the direct sale of its $179 Floyd Leg set, a $489 bed platform and other metal hardware for shelving and home offices. The product is manufactured and assembled in the U.S.

Listen to what Hoff sees for Michigan in the next 40 years. Brought to you by MSU Broad College of Business.

Hoff, who lives in Midtown, said more than half of the company's sales are in Chicago, New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Washington, D.C.

Floyd Design has grown to 10 full-time employees and the company is preparing to move into a new office and design space in Eastern Market in November. In March, the company joined the nonprofit Endeavor's global entrepreneurship network in a move aimed at scaling the business.

La-Z-Boy company officials have become strategic advisers for Floyd Design, while also studying how the furniture sales market is changing amid a shift to more consumer goods being sold online, Hoff said.

"It is really an amazing partnership," he said. "We're definitely breaking into an area of a lot of other furniture companies are attempting to break into."

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